Caution

by Tara Mills

  Missy’s nightlight helped Piper avoid tripping over the array of toys as she carried her to the bed. The girl’s nightgown was draped across the foot of the bed. Piper set her down and gently peeled Missy out of her pretty outfit; her shoes, tights, and dress. The combs fell out on their own and Piper moved them to the little table out of the way before laying Missy on her back and working her arms, one at a time, into her pajama sleeves.

  Piper was just trying to figure out how to get the nightgown over Missy’s lolling head when Chad came in. He hurried over and lifted Missy enough so that Piper could slip her head through the neck hole and together they worked it down without waking her. Then Chad stepped back and let Piper pull the covers over his daughter.

  “I almost forgot,” Chad whispered suddenly and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. He sorted through the bills and extracted a dollar, slipping it under the pillow.

  “A buck? Seriously?” Piper whispered.

  “Cost of living increase.”

  Piper smiled, took one last parting look at the sleeping girl, then turned and stumbled right over a stuffed hippo. Chad’s hand shot out and he caught her by the arm before she could fall over anything else. She gave him a silent nod of thanks and walked out. He followed, closing the door quietly behind him.

  They stopped in the hall.

  Chad looked tired but content. “Thanks for helping tonight.”

  Piper gave a muted laugh. “Thanks for the concert.”

  “Was it what you expected?” His eyes were dancing now.

  “Oh yeah. I owe your mother.”

  He chuckled softly. “Come on. Let’s get out of here before we wake them.”

  Piper followed him downstairs and around to the kitchen. Chad bent smoothly and picked up Piper’s purse from the floor where she dropped it when she carried Missy inside.

  “I’ve never undressed, or dressed for that matter, a child before,” she said taking a stool at the counter.

  “It didn’t show.”

  She shook her head. “You came in just in time.”

  He poured them each a glass of juice and slid one across to her.

  Piper took hers gratefully. The dry air in the theater had left her incredibly thirsty.

  “Is my time in the doghouse over?” Chad asked.

  She looked up. “You were never in the doghouse.”

  “Felt like it.”

  “I’m sorry. That’s what I wanted to avoid.” Then she smiled. “Your family is conspiring against us.”

  “You maybe.”

  “Don’t.”

  “I’m sorry.” The last fragments of the charming magical night faded, leaving awkwardness in its place.

  “I should probably get going.”

  “I’ll walk you out.”

  “I wish you wouldn’t.”

  He looked at her for a full minute before nodding. “Okay.”

  “Will you kiss the kids for me?” she asked, picking up her purse.

  “Glad to.”

  She smiled, sincerely. “They’re really great.”

  With that, she turned and left. Chad remained, leaning back against the counter he finished his juice. He didn’t shut off the lights and head up to bed until Piper was long gone.

  Chapter 20

  Piper could hardly wake up for her shift on Saturday morning. She swayed bleary eyed as she clocked in and couldn’t get to the coffee pot fast enough.

  Joy waited impatiently with her own cup in her hand. “So, how was the concert? I need details.”

  Piper gave an enormous yawn, blinking her tired tears away. “I think I agree with Kenny. The banana is the best, though the grapes are pretty awesome.”

  “Huh?”

  Piper smirked. “I was shanghaied.”

  “But what’s with the fruit?”

  “Chad’s a heterosexual.”

  “Quit fucking with me. Need I remind you it’s five in the effing morning?”

  “We did not go to see Green Swizzle Wooster.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “Do I look like I’m kidding?”

  “And the banana?”

  “He sings bass.”

  Joy started to giggle, then broke into a hearty laugh. “I don’t even want to know about the grapes.”

  “Good.”

  “So …”

  “Yeah. It was a kiddie concert with Kenny and Missy. We had a hell of a time.”

  “Anything else I should know about?”

  “Zip, unless you’re asking if I’m going to get even with you for pushing me into this.”

  “Nope, I’m good. How are you?”

  “Talk to me at ten and I’ll know by then — hopefully.”

  • • •

  Some days it just doesn’t pay to get out of bed. Thinking back, Piper couldn’t recall a more hellish shift. It was going to take a good night’s sleep just to recover from this one. The snafu that really made it memorable was the horrifying stop motion instant when the special order birthday cake she just finished took a heart-stopping header right off the edge of the counter and flipped face down onto the floor.

  Poor Joy was so distraught when she pulled the sheet trays back a second too late that Piper could barely console her.

  The good news was that they always baked extra cakes for the self-serve case. Piper ran and grabbed one of those then carefully scraped it clean, sliding the roses and piped edges off of it before transforming the replacement into one with a rock star theme at record speed. She was just closing up the box when the customer stopped back.

  The woman asked to see it first and Piper held her breath as she presented the box. To her relief the customer fawned over the rushed copy never suspecting that the original was now an unidentifiable mass in the garbage can.

  Four o’clock and free at last. Piper stopped at the deli for a roast beef and provolone sandwich before heading home.

  Shaken when she dozed off in the shower, Piper went right to bed and fell into an exhausted sleep.

  • • •

  At four A.M. Piper’s alarm clock went off, startling her so badly she almost fell out of bed when she took a swing at the button on top. Then, rolling over with a moan, Piper weighed her need for more sleep against the advisability of getting her ass out of bed. Her responsibilities won out. They always did.

  • • •

  Joy yawned. “I’ll bet sometimes you almost miss working nights.”

  “Almost.” Piper looked at the clock and nodded lethargically. It was only five-thirty and already they were three coffees in and if they didn’t snap out of it, they’d never get anything done. “But I think I slept too much.”

  Joy gave her a queer look. “Too much? How can you sleep too much?”

  “You’ve never done that? You know, when you go to bed too early and sleep right through and the next day, you feel even more tired?”

  “Girl, you’re nuts. I’ve never heard of anything so crazy.”

  Piper rolled her burning eyes. “Just get First Methodist’s order done.”

  Joy shifted the tray of rising rolls in the warmer. “Do you ever wonder why there’s not a second or a twentieth or even a fifty-first Methodist or Congregationalist? I think nobody wants to admit they’re not first. It’s all about inferiority.”

  “Philosophy before six in the morning? I’m blessed.”

  “You’ve got that right. I have to apply my minor somewhere and I don’t share these observations with just anyone, you know.” Joy started whipping up chocolate frosting. “By the way, I wanted to tell you that Dom and I are having a party on Saturday. We want you to come.”

  “You know I don’t do parties.”

  “Just this once. You can bring Chad. I�
�ve been dying to meet him.”

  “I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

  “You better.”

  • • •

  Chad called Piper that afternoon and invited her over. When she hesitated he asked, “Are you already busy?”

  “Yes and no. I was going to go home and take a nap.”

  “Tough day?”

  “Not as bad as yesterday but we were busy and my internal clock still hasn’t adjusted to my insane hours.” She tried and failed to stifle a yawn.

  Chad chuckled. “Go home and get some sleep and maybe when you wake up you’ll feel like stopping over.”

  “I’m not making any promises.”

  “Understood. Now get some rest.”

  • • •

  It was after six in the evening when Piper peeled her eyes open and panicked. She meant to call Chad and beg off sooner. She didn’t want him holding dinner for a no-show.

  He picked up after the second ring.

  “Hey, I’m sorry it took me so long to call you back,” she said.

  “No problem. I knew what was going on. Are you feeling better?”

  “Still a little groggy but yes, I’m better.”

  “Good. Hamburgers are just about to go on the grill, do you like onions?”

  “What?” Her pass on the dinner invite was getting away from her.

  “Onions — yea or nay?”

  “Nay.” She had no resolve. How infuriating.

  “Throw something on and hurry over.”

  She looked down at her naked body and wondered if the man had psychic abilities.

  “Do I need to bring anything?”

  “Just a sunny disposition.”

  “I think it’s still boxed up in the closet.”

  “Chipper works too if you can’t find sunny.”

  “Damn, chipper’s in the strainer by the sink. I needed to rinse it out.”

  “Just give it a good shake. Problem solved.”

  Piper laughed. “Fine, you’ve got me. I’ll be there shortly.”

  “Drive safely.”

  The second Piper hung up she realized Chad’s warning wasn’t an idle one. He’d learned the hard way not to take traffic hazards lightly. Naturally he’d worry about her until she got there in one piece.

  • • •

  They played whiffle ball in the backyard then everyone went inside and settled in front of the television. The kids put on an animated movie while Piper and Chad made themselves comfortable on the sofa.

  “So what does your mom do, Chad?”

  “Nothing,” he said with an idle shrug.

  She laughed. “Nice work if you can get it.”

  “What I meant is Mom doesn’t have to work. My parents owned a couple of small banks. Mom was the not-so-silent partner but it was my dad who ran them. He was good at it.”

  “And you didn’t want to go into the family business?”

  He chuckled and the kids shushed him from the floor. “No. My dad was an accountant slash businessman and I thought it was too tame for me. I wanted to get into something more manly.”

  “And you did.”

  He shook his head, grinning. “It started out that way. I got down and dirty with the best of them but I found out that I have my dad’s knack after all and my talents were better served by organizing. Now I’m an accountant slash businessman even if I occasionally wear a hard hat and dump dirt out of my shoes.”

  “But are you happy?”

  “Very.”

  “The test of a vocation is the love of the drudgery it involves.” Piper smiled. “Logan Pearsall Smith. It’s one of my favorite quotes.”

  “I like it.”

  “So where’s your dad? I haven’t met him yet.”

  “You won’t. He had a heart attack eight months before Chelsea died. It was an undiagnosed condition — a birth defect. If Dad was a more active person it would have shown up a lot sooner.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Thanks. Anyway, after he died, Mom reconsidered a couple of offers on the banks and eventually sold them. Now they’re branches of Republic. Part of the sale included stocks in the parent company so she gets by just fine.” Chad stood up and looked at her. “I’m going to get something to drink — you want anything?”

  “Make me an offer.”

  “I made a pitcher of cran-something or other before you got here.”

  “Can I have some?” Kenny asked from the floor.

  “Not in here,” Chad said. “If you two want juice you have to drink it in the kitchen.”

  Missy paused the movie and everyone went for juice. The kids were the only ones to go back into the living room. Chad and Piper sat at the kitchen table and continued their talk.

  “Tell me a little about your family,” Chad said. “Any siblings?”

  “My older brother Bill lives in Portland with his wife Julia. They have two kids in college but then he was a teen when I was born so we never really had a chance to get close before he flew the nest.”

  “What about your parents?”

  “My dad is a dentist, Dr. Frost.” She smiled. “He has a small office in Martin Heights and my mom used to help out with scheduling until my grandma moved in with them. She needed a lot of care so they set up a little apartment on the first floor and Mom went into nursing fulltime. When Grandma died Mom didn’t go back to work. Dad didn’t really need her at the office by then. Sometimes I worry about my mom. She seems a little lost without something to occupy her.”

  Loud music announced the end of the movie and Chad excused himself to look in on kids.

  “Time for bed,” he said. “Upstairs and brush your teeth.”

  They both whined and complained but Chad stood firm. “I don’t want to argue. It’s bed time.”

  “But its summer vacation and we want to watch TV with you. Besides, Piper’s still here.” Kenny gave his dad the full treatment, pleading eyes and all. “Please Dad, please? We’re not even tired yet.”

  Missy nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with her brother.

  After a thoughtful pause Chad relented. “Fine, go upstairs and put on your pajamas and brush your teeth first.”

  The excited kids hit the stairs running.

  “You’re giving in to them?” Piper asked, coming up behind him.

  Chad turned. “I’m going to make a point.”

  Intrigued, she eyed him expectantly.

  He smiled. “What’s worse than not getting what you want?”

  “Getting it.”

  “Precisely.”

  • • •

  When the kids came back they were beaming and even when Chad explained the conditions their happiness over their modest victory never wavered.

  “Okay, here’s the deal, you can watch television with us but you can’t complain about what’s on and you don’t get to go to bed until I say so, understood?”

  The kids thought that sounded fair and Kenny actually scoffed at the suggestion that he’d even ask. Chad turned on a late baseball game and the kids sat on the floor sharing smiles back and forth, assuming they won.

  “Maybe I should leave,” Piper whispered discretely to Chad.

  “No, you’re going to want to watch this,” he said with a conspiratorial grin.

  For the next twenty minutes the kids hung in there but after that they were both fighting hard to keep their eyes open. Only during the blaring commercials did they seem to revive but it was short lived. For the adults sitting behind them, watching the kids was far more entertaining than the game.

  It was easy to tell when one of them started nodding off because their heads would bob a few times first before finally slumping heavily. That’s when Chad would switc
h the station and startle the kids awake with loud commercials.

  They didn’t make it an hour before they were pleading to go to bed.

  “You don’t want to go up now,” Chad said in disbelief. “There’s another inning to go.”

  Yes they did, but they shut up about it for another ten minutes. That was as long as they could last before the sniffling started.

  Piper turned on Chad with a tortured look but he shook his head and whispered, “Not yet.”

  Only when their crying had turned into actual blubbering did Chad mute the television and pretend to be confused. “What’s wrong?”

  “We want to go to bed,” they whimpered brokenly.

  “I don’t understand. You begged me to let you stay up late. We argued about it.”

  “We don’t want to anymore,” Kenny sobbed. His face was red and wet.

  Piper’s heart was breaking. She looked at Chad helplessly, biting her tongue. It was difficult not to interfere.

  “Missy, you don’t want to go to bed already do you?” Chad asked her gently.

  She nodded. “I’m sooo tired. Please, Daddy, can we go to bed?”

  Chad’s voice was grave but his eyes were compassionate. “Are we going to fight about bedtimes anymore?”

  The kids sniffled and shook their heads.

  “Okay. Off to bed.”

  Missy rushed her dad for a hug, leaving an undecided Kenny to figure out what he wanted to do. Then he rushed forward, too, gratitude overwhelming his reticence. Piper watched, her emotions shifting between relief and tenderness.

  Then Missy released her dad and gave Piper a big hug. Surprised and deeply moved, Piper kissed the girl’s cheek and wished her sweet dreams.

  Kenny fidgeted for a minute before throwing himself at her next but he bolted after his sister before Piper could give him a kiss, too.

  Chad and Piper stared at each other, so stunned they both needed a moment to collect themselves.

  When he finally trusted himself to speak Chad asked, “Well? How’d I do?”

  Her eyes were sparkling when she smiled. “That was brilliant. How did you know that would work?”

  “My dad did the same thing to me when I was a kid. It made an impression.”